Our Caring Staff

Wayne Boze

Founder

Donald Wayne Boze, born in Waxahachie, Texas March 23, 1951 to Patrick Wayne Boze and Jessie Beryl (Chisholm) Boze. Wayne has three sisters, Laura Linda, Nancy Gail, and Bettie Beryl. He graduated High School from Waxahachie in 1969 and upon graduation attended UT Arlington and Navarro Junior College in Corsicana. He joined the Texas Air National Guard in December 1969, training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, and Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, and was stationed at Hensley Field/Dallas Naval Air Base 136th Combat Support in Grand Prairie. While in High School and college, he was a weekend Jailor for the Ellis County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Wayne McCollum and a member of the Waxahachie Emergency Corps (later Waxahachie Rural Fire Dept.)

From an early age through high school, Wayne assisted his father at Boze-Mitchell Funeral Home as an ambulance driver/attendant and funeral attendant; compensation was a gasoline allowance. Wayne graduated from Tyler Junior College in 1972 with an Associate’s degree in Law Enforcement. While in College he worked part-time for Lloyd James Funeral Home, became the first cadet for the Tyler Police Department, and joined the Tyler Police Department full-time in 1971 and was promoted to Detective in 1974. He later moved to Proctor, Texas, leasing his Grandmother Chisholm’s farm. While he was farming/ranching, he was employed with the Dublin Police Department and Comanche County Sheriff's Office. Later he entered the oil field as a roughneck, motor hand, and derrick hand, working in Central, East, and South Texas. While employed with the Delta Drilling Company in the Beaumont area, he met and later married Maria (Maggie) Squalia on November 20, 1982. They have raised three children, Billie Faye (Squailia) Manz, Patrick W. Boze, and JD Boze and his wife Amanda. They also have one grandson, Ethan Wayne Boze.

In 1988 he was asked to return to Waxahachie to represent the family for the new owners of Boze-Mitchell funeral home. He graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service receiving an Associates Degree and License in 1990. Wayne resigned from Boze-Mitchell Funeral Home in 1993 and worked for a funeral home in Ft. Worth before returning to Waxahachie in 1996. Wayne started Boze Memorial Inc. dba, Wayne Boze Funeral Home in February 1997 in the old Rips Bar-B-Q building on Ferris Avenue. With cooperation from our local Churches and ministers, we were able to serve 54 families the first year, 84 families the second year, and in 2000 moved to our current location, which was the old skating rink. We have grown to serve 160 to 200 families per year and acquired the Red Oak Funeral Home in 2004.

Wayne is still an active owner/manager/funeral director/embalmer who is proud to say that he believes he has put together and acquired the best team of funeral directors, embalmers, and staff, full-time and part-time, anywhere in the state to serve our families. Grandfather Arthur T. Boze started our family tradition in 1910 as an embalmer with the Spalding Furniture and Undertaking Company in Waxahachie. The Spalding company went out of business during the crash of the 1920s. He had several partnerships: Boze-Omohundro, Martin Boze, and Boze-Ashcraft. In 1937 the county Judge declared Wayne’s dad, Pat Boze, an adult at age 17 to continue the Partnership of Boze-Ascraft after his father Arthur, passed away. Wayne’s dad received his embalmer's license in 1939 and his funeral director's license in 1940. Mr. Ashcraft sold out to Mr. Saxon and Mr. Champion, becoming Saxon-Champion-Boze. While Wayne’s Dad was serving in the Navy during WWII, Mr. Champion decided to sell out. At that time Saxon-Boze-Mitchell was formed and a 50-year partnership ensued. The Saxon name was dropped in the mid-1950s. Also while Wayne’s Dad was in Mortuary school, he was part of the Civil Defense and was one of the student embalmers at the New London School Explosion. A few years later, he was sent to the Texas City Explosion, participated in numerous tornado disasters, and the Braniff Airlines’ crash at Dawson Texas.

Before Pat Boze married Jessie, he was a member of the First United Methodist Church, a Sunday School teacher, and a Boy Scout member and Leader. His pastor Dr. D.A. Chisholm became his father-in-law and Wayne’s grandfather, (Popeye). Wayne was raised in the First United Methodist Church, was a member of the New London Methodist Church while living in New London, rejoined First United Methodist in 1988, and later joined the Waxahachie Bible Church where he is currently a member. Wayne was also in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts going through the Order of the Arrow.

Wayne has always been involved in the community, serving as past President of the Waxahachie Optimist Club; past board member of the Waxahachie Salvation Army; past board member of the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce and currently serving in the Waxahachie Lions Club.

Wayne Boze passed away Saturday, August 17, 2024.

Gayle Underwood

General Manager / Funeral Director / Embalmer

Gayle was born August 17, 1967, in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Gordon L. and Gaylia Underwood. A 1985 graduate of Ozona High School in Ozona, Texas, and a 1988 graduate of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. Gayle started his career in funeral service in Ballinger, Texas in 1988 and moved to Waxahachie in December 1989 to work for Boze Mitchell Funeral Home where he worked from 1990 to January 2000, serving as a funeral director and manager. In March 2001 Gayle went to work for Wayne Boze Funeral Home. Gayle married Brandy Brown on January 20, 1990, in San Angelo, Texas. In June 1997 they were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Savannah Underwood. Gayle was a longtime member of the Waxahachie Optimist Club and served as President over the years and is a current member of the Waxahachie Lions Club. He attended the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce Leadership Waxahachie in 1999 and served on the Board of Directors for the Ballinger Chamber of Commerce. Gayle enjoys hunting, playing golf, and softball.

Victoria York

Funeral Director / Embalmer / Certified Cremationist

Originally from Arlington, Texas, Victoria graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in 2020. She brings experience in both embalming and cremation, with a deep commitment to serving families with care and compassion.

Her passion for funeral service began with a class project on green burials, which led to her focus on sustainable, personalized care. Victoria is especially interested in eco-friendly practices and hopes to one day open a funeral home centered on alternative disposition methods.

In her free time, she enjoys baking, her plants, and music, but most of all, loves being with her family.

Zackery Harley

Funeral Director

Savannah Underwood

Office Manager

Rob Woodward

Area Family Service Manager

Stephen Fortenberry

Family Service Counselor

Karina Morales

Community Service Counselor

Eddie Ballard

Funeral Ambassador

Eddie was born in Jacksonville, Texas, and currently resides in Waxahachie, Texas, with his wife of more than 55 years, Ruth Ballard, who is a retired teacher. They have two children and two grandchildren. Eddie serves as pastor of a small church in Bardwell, Texas, and also does chaplain work through Marketplace Chaplains. Eddie has served in churches for almost sixty years, with twenty-five of those years as pastor. Almost every morning during the school year, he goes to an elementary school and opens car doors for children whose parents bring them to school. He has worked at Wayne Boze Funeral Home for the past three years.

Jim Fuller

Funeral Ambassador

Jim has been with the Wayne Boze family since 2011 and has served as our Director of Audio and Visual Services for the last 8 years. Jim puts his personal touches on the tribute videos we make for our families.

He was born in Ruston, LA, later moving to Columbus, NE where he graduated from high school, after which he moved to Arlington, TX with his parents and siblings. Jim enlisted into the Army Security Agency where he proudly served for four years, the last eighteen months of which were served in Vietnam. While stationed at Fort Walters in Mineral Wells, TX he met his wife Pat. Pat taught school for 37 years, the last 25 years at Northside Elementary in Waxahachie. Next July they will be married for 50 years. They have three sons and daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren.

After the military Jim went to work for the Western Electric Co., a subsidiary of AT&T Corp. After seven years Jim transferred to Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. He retired from AT&T as a Senior Technical Consultant in the Network Engineering Dept. after 33 years.

Jim & Pat joined the Farley Street Baptist Church in 1973 where they both taught youth and adult classes and sang in the choir. Jim enjoys spending time with his family and working in his yard.

Jimmy Mitchell

Funeral Ambassador

Jimmy Mitchell is a lifelong resident of Waxahachie and has been associated with Wayne Boze Funeral Home since 1997 when Wayne Boze returned to his hometown. During their high school days, Wayne and Jimmy were making ambulance calls for Pat Boze (Wayne’s Dad). After spending three years in the Navy in Vietnam he returned home and married Linda Hitt on May 18, 1974, and recently celebrated their 46th anniversary. They have one son, Jon Boyd. Jimmy retired after 30 years at the Dallas Zoo. He has been a volunteer fireman with Ellis County District #6 since 1968. He grew up in the Ferris Heights UMC but has been an active member of the Bethel United Methodist Church since 2005. He and Linda have been rescuing German and English pointers for more than 20 years. Jimmy considers it a great privilege to assist families when they have lost a loved one.

Elaine Stracener

Funeral Ambassador

Elaine Stracener was born in Dallas on February 10, 1943. She grew up in Dallas and graduated from Kimball High School in 1961. She married James in 1965. They have lived in Dallas, DeSoto, and moved to Waxahachie in 2006. Elaine has two sons and three grandchildren. She started to work at Wayne Boze Funeral Home in January 2012. Elaine helps with visitations and is in the office on the weekends. She enjoys working with people and believes it is a blessing.

Paul Wallace

Funeral Ambassador

Paul was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico. In 1970 his father was transferred to Memphis, Tennessee where I graduated from High School.

Paul moved to Waxahachie in 1974 to attend college. In 2013 he retired from the U.S. Postal Service with 32 years of service. In 2014 Paul came to work for Wayne Boze Funeral Home as a funeral ambassador and support services.

Paul has been married to Barbara Wallace for 29 years who is a retired teacher from Waxahachie ISD. We raised four children who are adults and have five grandchildren. We are members of Victory Baptist Church in Waxahachie, Texas.

Deron Shouppe

Funeral Ambassador

Linda Harris

Funeral Amassador

Pastor Don Barnes

Funeral Ambassador

Gary Escamilla

Funeral Amassador